I-81 Replacement

Syracuse-area health, safety, and parent advocates want the state DOT to ensure those living and attending school near the I-81 viaduct are properly protected from lead dust exposure when the bridge is torn down. They gathered in front of Martin Luther King school Wednesday, which lies in the shadow of the highway.

The second to-last public hearing on replacing a segment of I-81 through Syracuse is tonight at CNS High. Officials say comments will help shape final project plans.

Labor shortages are hitting Syracuse like many other cities across the U.S. A new proposal from the mayor aims to better train people for open jobs.

A new type of proposal to replace the aging Interstate 81 old and crumbling viaduct has the name of Harriet Tubman attached to it. County Legislature candidate and funeral home director Charles Garland is pushing the idea for a high-tech, futuristic bridge to carry cars through Syracuse, not on local streets. The idea goes against the Community Grid option, favored by transportation and city officials.

The public hearing portion on the state DOT’s latest draft of the I-81 viaduct replacement plan is now complete after dozens weighed in at two virtual and two in-person hearings this week. But the outreach continues next week and into September with neighborhood meetings.

About 70 people turned out for Tuesday’s first virtual public hearing on the revised draft of the replacement for I-81 viaduct.

Those who live or used to live near the I-81 viaduct are calling on the state DOT not to repeat the same mistakes from 60 years ago as plans move forward with the proposed community grid replacement.

Dozens of Syracuse advocates and community residents marched from Martin Luther King, Jr. school to the state office building over the weekend demanding justice for those living near the I-81 viaduct.

The state Department of Transportation is out with its latest plan to replace the I-81 viaduct in Syracuse, and it reaffirms their commitment to a community grid. The draft environmental impact statement, or DEIS, includes some changes from the preliminary draft introduced a little over two years ago.

It was a week ago Tuesday when US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stopped in Syracuse to confirm that I-81 viaduct replacement project is a federal priority, and that it’s committed to ensuring Syracuse residents are hired to work on it. The visit reassured community advocates like Deka Dancil, president of the Urban Jobs Task Force.